bavarikon4UFranz Zell: Architect and Trendsetter 1866-1961
The architect Franz Zell (1866-1961) was one of the most prominent representatives of Heimatstil in and outside Bavaria. He was a protagonist and spokesman of the ethnology movement. As a founding member and key player of various associations for the cultivation and preservation of folk art, he was a trendsetter. In his articles and books on architecture and folk art, Zell championed the idea of revitalising regional building traditions. He designed and staged parlour furnishings and collection displays for numerous regional and national museums.
The collection on Franz Zell presented here is part of his widely scattered estate and consists of: photographs of his buildings, photographs and sketches of his furniture designs, sketchbook, historical books, some with large-format plates, the exhibition catalogue for the first exhibition of folk art in Bavaria and editorial contributions to historical building magazines.
The photographs of his buildings are current shots of buildings that still exist as well as historical shots of former and existing buildings in the Heimatstil. The sketchbook contains pencil drawings, some in water colours. Photographs, historical shots of the Oberammergau Museum design and a sketchbook are part of the Oberammergau Museum collection.
The drawings of Zell’s furniture designs belong to the collection from the Kreismuseum Walderbach in the district of Cham.
The historical photographs of museum design in the early 20th century are part of the collections from the Stadtmuseum Kaufbeuren and the Städtisches Museum in Rosenheim.
Zell’s publications, some of them elaborate with plates and descriptions, are held by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library).
>> This collection is part of the holdings of the Oberammergau Museum.
Further stockholding institutions:
Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR)
Baerische Staatsbibliothek
Kreismuseum Walderbach
Stadtarchiv Rosenheim
Stadtmuseum Kaufbeuren
Städtisches Museum, Rosenheim
Holdings from private ownership